New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- After nearly 26 years at Microsoft, Shawn Mrzena is swapping corporate strategy meetings for construction projects, plumbing work and outdoor adventures.

The former Microsoft director from Redmond, Washington, took a voluntary retirement offer in July 2026. Since leaving the technology giant, he has explored work that looks markedly different from his previous corporate responsibilities, including raising beams at construction sites, designing outdoor gear, working with different materials and guiding fly-fishing trips.

In a LinkedIn post marking 90 days outside the corporate world, Mrzena shared photographs of his new experiences and reflected on how stepping away from his long corporate career had allowed him to ...